Internews Network, now Internews, is an international non-profit organization. Formed in 1982, Internews Inc. is a 501 organization incorporated in California. It has worked in more than 70 countries and trained more than 80,000 people in media skills. It is a founding member of Internews International, an umbrella organization, based in Paris, of 30 associated non-governmental media organizations. Internews was founded by David M. Hoffman, Kim Spencer, and Evelyn Messinger. The president and CEO is Jeanne Bourgault. Internews Europe is an independent media development organization, based in London, UK, and relying mainly on European funding. Internews Europe is chaired by Mark Stephens. In early 2015, Internews Network and Internews Europe began to integrate more closely and operate cooperatively with independent boards of directors.
History
Internews was founded by David M. Hoffman, Kim Spencer, and Evelyn Messinger in 1982, incorporated in 1986. One of the organization's first projects was a series of Spacebridges that connected the U.S. and Soviet Union by satellite, a program that culminated with a TV series named "Capital to Capital" that aired on ABC and won an Emmy Award in 1988.
In April 2007 Russian police raided the office of the Educated Media Foundation, a section of Internews which trains journalists and fosters an independent media, as part of an investigation into its president, Manana Aslamazyan, who was accused of bringing too much cash into Russia from a visit to France. Russia's Constitutional Court ruled on May 26, 2008 that charges against Manana Aslamazyan were illegal. In line with the ruling, Russia’s Interior Ministry dropped the charges and a warrant for Aslamazyan’s arrest.
Internews Pakistan
Internews is an international organization that operates in about 40 countries to promote open media worldwide.
Internews Center for Innovation & Learning
Based in Washington, D.C. and operating globally, The Internews Center for Innovation & Learning experiments with, captures and shares innovative approaches to communication from around the world. The Center seeks to strike a balance between local expertise and global learning in order to develop a comprehensive approach to innovative information exchange. The success of Internews’ programs springs from the expertise of its local field teams and an innovation advisor in each region helps support local experimentation, research and learning. The Center has committed to capturing the technological discoveries of field offices to enrich the knowledge base of the international development community as a whole. Internews' current Media Map project is the research cornerstone of the Center. In partnership with the World Bank Institute and the Brookings Institution and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Media Map project analyzes and publishes data on the interrelations between information access and outcomes in democracy and governance, economic growth, poverty reduction, human rights, gender equality, and health. Building from this foundation, Internews will seek support for the Center from a variety of private sources, including the technology sector, academic and research institutions, foundations, and individuals, to make the Internews Center for Innovation & Learning a dynamic public-private partnership that leverages resources and expertise to benefit communities throughout the world.
Leadership
The president and CEO is Jeanne Bourgault. The Board of Directors includes senior leaders from media, business and government, such as Chris Boskin, Simone Otus Coxe, founder David Hoffman, Lorne Craner, Anja Manuel, and Cristiana Falcone Sorrell. National Security Advisor Susan Rice served on Internews' Board before rejoining the U.S. government.
